“Damn,” muttered Maclean under his breath. “Tell her to get on the bus. I’ll get her kids and bring them into town.”
“Sergeant, we have a quad you can use,” said Trudy.
“Bless you. Where is it?”
“It’s in the big storage barn, right behind the main house.”
Maclean nodded. “And what are the kids’ names?”
“Jacob and Patrick.”
Maclean repeated their names to himself a couple of times to himself to memorize them.
Behind them, the lights from an approaching vehicle lit up the farm. Maclean watched, suddenly tense, as the Suburban stopped next to the school bus, and a single occupant got out.
“Morning Trudy,” said the woman, who was wearing a police uniform. Maclean relaxed and exhaled quietly.
“Morning, Officer Tibeluk,” replied Mrs. Munroe.
“I was on my way back into town, when I saw all of the lights on your farm on, and thought it most peculiar, considering how early it is. So, I decided to stop in and see what’s going on.”
Trudy looked at Maclean. “Sergeant Maclean told us that Sheriff Black wants us to pack up and move into town. He said a rabid bear was spotted in this neck of the woods.”
Maclean held out his hand in greeting. “I don’t think we’ve had the chance to meet yet. I’m Sergeant James Maclean. Sheriff Black kind of deputized me and my colleague to round up the Munroes, but we’ve hit a bit of a snag.”
“I’m Officer Tracey Tibeluk. What kind of snag are you talking about?”
“Two kids aren’t here. They’re off camping in the woods.”
“Where?”
“They’re down by the Atna River,” replied Trudy.
“I was just about to head out there and get the kids when you showed up,” said Maclean.
“Do you know where Atna River is, Sergeant?” asked Tibeluk.
“No.”
“I do, so I’m going with you. We can bring them back here, and then use my Suburban to drive them into town.”
Maclean liked the confident tone and mannerisms displayed by Tibeluk. He smiled briefly and said, “Sounds like a plan to me. Now to break the news to Professor Hayes.”
Aside from a couple of young children crying in their parents’ arms, everyone on the bus was silent and pensive.
Hayes sat behind the wheel of the bus, shaking his head. “I’ve never driven anything this big before,” he protested.
“You’ll do fine, Doc,” said Maclean. “Just remember this is a stick shift and not an automatic, and you’ll be okay.”
“If you say so.”
Maclean patted the perturbed doctor on the shoulder, and turned to face the two elder Munroes. “Jeremy will drive you all to the school, where you’ll be able to stay until this all blows over.”
“What about our animals? Who’s going to look after them?” asked Harold Munroe.
Maclean forced what he hoped would be a soothing smile on his face. “Don’t worry, they’ll be safe where they are. You’ll probably be back in less than a day’s time. Your animals should be okay until you get back.” He cursed himself for his outright lies, but knew that was what the Munroes wanted to hear.
“Please bring our grandchildren back to us,” said Mrs. Munroe. Fear filled her voice.
Maclean winked and held up his MP7. “Don’t you worry, ma’am, I’ll have them to you safe and sound by breakfast.” He climbed down out of the bus and waved, as Hayes placed the vehicle in gear and slowly drove away. He walked behind the house to the storage shed and saw that Tibeluk had brought two quads out. Their engines rumbled quietly.
“Are you ready?” asked Tibeluk, sitting on a red quad.
“I should be. I drove something like this in Afghanistan. Say, what time is sunrise around here?”
Tibeluk checked her wristwatch. “In about two hours.”
Maclean slipped on a helmet, and sat down on his black, four-wheeled vehicle. He looked over at Tibeluk. “Ladies first.”
Tibeluk applied power to the engine, turned her handlebar over, and drove toward a trail behind one of the Munroes’ barns.
With a feeling of foreboding in his heart, Maclean sped after Tibeluk. He brought his submachine gun down and rested it on his lap. If something were to happen on the narrow trail, it would be quick and deadly, and Maclean didn’t want to fall victim to the animals stalking the night.
Chapter 39
“Son of a bitch,” cried Grant.
“What’s wrong?” asked Nadia.
“Those merc bastards stole our car!”
“What about their vehicles?” said Elena. “All we have to do is replace the flat tires, hotwire one, and we’re back in business.”
Grant closed his eyes and shook his head. “Have you ever hotwired a car before?”
“No. But you’re a soldier, you should know how to do it…right?”
“Sorry, it’s not a skill they taught at West Point,” he replied as he walked to the nearest abandoned truck. He swore when he saw the spare tires for both vehicles were gone.
“Now what’s the matter?” Elena asked.
“They took the bloody spares with them.” Grant flipped up the vehicle’s hood and looked inside. “And before you say anything else, it looks like they also took the engine alternators with them as well. From here on out, I guess we’re on foot.”
“It shouldn’t be too bad, it’s only about five and a half kilometers from here to my craft,” said Nadia.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” said Grant, staring at Nadia’s leathery face. “But are you going to remain as you are?”
“Yes. Why?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’m just not used to seeing someone like you. The teenage girl’s face was far less threatening looking.”
“It takes a lot out of me to be something other than myself. I’m going to need all of my strength to see this through to the end. I think it’s easier if I just stay as I am.”
“You’re the expert. I want you to take the lead, but keep your pace measured. We don’t have legs as long as you do.”
Nadia brought out her tracking device, got a fix on her craft, and began to walk.
A thought crossed Grant’s mind. He cursed himself for not thinking of it earlier. He ran over and tapped her on the shoulder. “Nadia, all the comms systems in the local area went dead when you arrived. You’re responsible for this communications blackout, aren’t you?”
“Correct.”
“Why don’t you lift it, so we can call for help?”
Nadia stopped in her tracks. “I’m not going to lift the comms blackout, nor am I going to remove the electromagnetic shield which encompasses the town and the local countryside.”
“The what?” said Elena.
“I have a shield in place, which prevents anything that relies on electricity to enter or leave this battlespace until I have completed my mission.”
Nadia began to walk again.
“I don’t get it. You say you want our help but won’t allow us to call for assistance,” said Grant.
“My mission orders are quite specific. Neither I nor the general can ever be taken alive by your armed forces. Similarly, all of our technology must be destroyed if it looks like it’s in danger of falling into your hands. You’re a relatively primitive and immature species, but you’re on the cusp of great advances in scientific technology. If any of our equipment were to be examined by your scientists, it wouldn’t take them more than a decade or two to figure out how to reproduce whatever they had their hands on. And my people aren’t about to let that happen.”
“Please, you have to at least let us help the people in the town,” pleaded Elena.
“Like I told the sheriff, they’re on their own. I’m sorry, but I have strict noninterference orders.”
“Aren’t you breaking those orders by allowing Elena and me to help stop your rogue general?” posed Grant.
“Dave, if all you do is distract the general for a
second or two before he kills you, then you will have aided me greatly. I give you at best a five percent chance of surviving the night. As for the woman, she has less than a one percent chance of living. The people back in the town, they’re most likely all going to die. The creatures General Nagan created aren’t just throwbacks to an earlier time. They’re designed to be highly intelligent, and will work together to bring down their prey. By moving everyone to one spot, all you’ve done is make it easier for them to find their next meal.”
Anger surged through Grant’s body. “Goddammit, Nadia, you could have told us this before we came up with our plan.”
“I told you once before. You’re a means to an end, and nothing more. You’re the one who volunteered to help me. The people in the town will assist me by keeping the animals busy while I accomplish my mission.” With that, Nadia spun on her heel and carried on walking.
Elena leaned on close and whispered, “My God, that woman’s a real bitch.”
Grant shrugged. “I don’t know. I think she’s just being honest. Besides, I don’t think she expects to come out of this alive, either.”
Chapter 40
The night began to give way to the faint, cold, gray light of dawn.
Maclean saw Tibeluk apply the brakes to her ATV, and did likewise. A couple of seconds later, they drove out of the woods and stopped in a small clearing. In front of them was the wide, and fast-flowing, Atna River.
Maclean switched off his quad’s engine, removed his helmet, and climbed off. The two boys were nowhere to be seen. He looked over at Tibeluk. “Do you have any idea where the boys could have set up their tents?”
“This river runs for hundreds of kilometers,” replied Tibeluk. “They could be anywhere, but I suspect they’re no more than five minutes from here.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because there’s a great fishing spot just down the trail, where my brothers and I used to go when we were kids. I bet we’ll find them there.”
Maclean placed his helmet back on his head and got onto his ATV. “Okay, then, let’s get moving.”
Tibeluk had called it correctly. They drove out of the woods and came to a halt right next to the shredded remains of a tent. Maclean jumped from his quad, slung his MP7, and ran to the pile of nylon, grabbing handfuls of it and lifting it into the air. The tent was empty. The boys’ sleeping bags were ripped to pieces. Crumbs of food were scattered everywhere. Maclean stood up and studied the ground with his flashlight. There were at least three different sets of three-toed animal tracks around the tent.
“Are they…?” Tibeluk asked, hesitantly.
“No, they’re not in there. Nor is there any blood. I think the boys may have seen what was coming and made a run for it.”
“We’re up here,” said a voice barely louder than a whisper.
Maclean and Tibeluk looked up into the trees and saw a teenage boy waving at them. A second, dirt-covered face popped out from behind some branches.
Relief at seeing the boys alive replaced the fear in Maclean’s heart. “Come on down, lads.”
The boys scrambled down like monkeys from the tree.
“So which one of you is Jacob, and which one of you is Patrick?” said Maclean.
“I’m Jacob,” said the shorter of the two boys.
“And I’m Patrick,” said the other boy, his face covered with freckles.
“Okay, I’m Sergeant Maclean, and I’m sure you already know Officer Tibeluk. Did you see what attacked your camp?”
“Yeah, but I’d never seen anything like them before in my life,” said Patrick.
“What did you see?” asked Tibeluk.
“Officer, I’m not making this up: they were gigantic birds with massive beaks,” replied Patrick.
“As crazy as your story sounds, trust me, after what’s happened to me in the past few hours, I believe you.”
“We were about to go to get some sleep, when I spotted one of them watching us from the woods. We knew we were in trouble, so we ran and climbed that tree.”
“They couldn’t climb up after us,” said Jacob, “so they got real angry and tore our tent apart looking for food, before heading back into the forest.”
“You did the right thing, boys,” said Maclean. “Now, Officer Tibeluk and I are going to take you to your parents, who are waiting for you in town,” explained Maclean.
“What are they doing there?” asked Jacob.
“There’s no time to explain right now,” said Tibeluk. “Jacob, you get on my quad, while Patrick can ride with Sergeant Maclean.”
The boys nodded and ran to jump onto the ATVs.
“Sergeant, I’ll lead us back to the farm,” said Tibeluk to Maclean.
He smiled. “Not a problem, Officer. I like a woman who likes to take charge.”
Tibeluk shook her head. No matter where they come from, all men still think alike, she thought.
When they came to the end of the trail, Tibeluk slowed her quad and brought it to a stop.
Maclean drove up next to her and looked over at the Munroes’ farm. An early-morning mist covered the open ground. Tibeluk’s police vehicle was parked on the road, less than five hundred meters away. When he went to ask Tibeluk why they stopped, he saw her eyes fixed on one of the farm’s houses. “Do you see something?” he asked.
“I don’t know. It may be nothing, but my gut’s telling me to be careful,” replied Tibeluk.
Maclean brought up his submachine gun and looked through its sights. He surveyed the farm but couldn’t see anything.
“I guess I’m just imagining things,” said Tibeluk.
Maclean lowered his weapon. “No. We’re going to trust your gut instincts. It’s worked for me in the past, and I’d rather err on the side of caution, rather than end up dead. Let’s go with the assumption that there is something out there waiting for us.”
“What do you want to do?”
“We’ll head straight for your vehicle. If something comes after us, I want you to keep going and let me deal with it.”
“I have a gun too, and I’m one hell of a good shot.”
“Tracey, I don’t doubt you’re handy with a gun, but you need to get Jacob to safety, and then worry about Patrick, and lastly, me.”
Tibeluk nodded.
“What do you want me to do, sir?” Patrick asked.
“Can you drive this quad?”
Patrick’s eyes lit up. “I sure can.”
“Good, let’s switch places. No matter what happens to me, I want you to follow Officer Tibeluk to her car. Got it?”
Patrick nodded and climbed in front of Maclean.
“Okay, let’s do this,” said Maclean.
Tibeluk revved her engine for a couple of seconds, before releasing the brake and speeding out onto the open field. With Patrick right behind her, she raced for Suburban.
When they were halfway to the vehicle, three terror birds sprinted out from behind a barn and ran to catch their prey.
Out of the corner of his eye, Maclean saw them coming. He bought up his MP7, and aimed it at the closest bird. When it was less than ten meters away, he pulled the trigger, firing a sustained burst into the creature’s chest. Blood and feathers flew, as the bullets tore through its flesh. With a loud squawk the monster fell, facefirst to the ground.
The two other animals ran past the dying beast, and closed in on Maclean’s ATV. He switched his aim, and sprayed what was left in his weapon’s magazine at the birds. One of the creatures, hit in the leg, slowed down, but kept limping after the escaping vehicles.
With less than fifty meters to go, Tibeluk swerved around a stump partially hidden in the fog. Patrick saw the move, but reacted a second too late. The tires on the right side of his quad hit the stump, knocking Patrick and Maclean flying from the vehicle. They landed on the soft ground and rolled, end over end.
With adrenaline pumping through his veins, Maclean barely registered the fall from the quad and jumped to his feet. His submachine gun
was gone. He ran to Patrick and helped the youngster to his feet. The last bird let out a loud shriek, and charged at the two men trapped out in the open. Maclean pushed Patrick in the direction of the Suburban, reached behind his back, and drew his pistol. The bird was so close that he didn’t bother to aim. As fast as he could pull the trigger, Maclean fired round after round into the monster. The bird’s eyes rolled up in its head. A second later, it tripped over its own feet, and tumbled to the ground right next to Maclean. Grant ejected the spent magazine from his pistol, and jammed home a new one, before loading a round into the chamber. His chest was heaving, as if he had just run a marathon.
A shot rang out, surprising Maclean. He turned his head. Tibeluk was standing next to her vehicle with a smoking shotgun in her hands. In the field, the remaining wounded bird stopped walking, and staggered from side to side like a drunk before dropping to the ground.
Maclean jogged to Tibeluk’s side. “Thanks.”
“I told you I was a good shot,” she replied.
“I never doubted you for a second. Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Tibeluk got behind the wheel, started her Suburban, and placed it in drive. She glanced over at Maclean and said, “Care to tell me what we’re up against, Sergeant?”
“I’m not sure what to tell you, other than there’s a lot more of those things out there.”
“Is this some sort of messed-up military experiment?”
Maclean chuckled. “Yeah, but your military isn’t behind it.”
“Then whose is?”
“You won’t believe me.”
“Try me.”
Maclean sat back in his seat and let out a sigh of exhaustion. “Tracey, do you believe in UFOs?”
“For the love of God, you’re not going to try and tell me something from outer space made those creatures, are you?”
“Well, kind of.”
Tibeluk shook her head. “Save it. I’ll get the sheriff to tell me what’s going on. She’s never lied to me.”
“Your call,” said Maclean. “But be prepared for the same story I was about to tell you.” He looked out the window as they sped toward town, wondering how his friends were doing, and if they were still alive.
Fallen Star (Project Gauntlet Book 1) Page 20